Beauty of traditional Chinese medicine is based on the guidance of the basic theory of traditional Chinese medicine and traditional Chinese aesthetics, which prevents and controls diseases that damage beauty by oral or topical administration of traditional Chinese herbal medicine so as to obtain a cosmetic method and basic means for realizing nourished face and pleasant look.
The human skin color is determined by melanocytes and melanin levels generated therefrom in the outermost layer of skin, i.e. the epidermis. The increase of melanin content in skin is related to the enhanced activity of melanocytes, whereas ultraviolet radiation in the sunlight is the main cause of the increase in melanin synthesis (Chengxin Li, Ling Wang. Research progress in generative mechanism of skin pigmentation [J]. Chinese Journal of Aesthetic Medicine, 2009, 09: 1372-1375).
Melanin is synthesized in melanocytes by enzymatic reaction and then released into the epidermis, and is eliminated along with the process of epidermis replacement. The depth of skin color is related to the activity of melanocytes, synthesis rate of melanin, eliminating rate of melanin (Mechanisms Regulating Skin Pigmentation: The Rise and Fall of Complexion Coloration, Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2009, 10, 4066-4087).
At present, although the prior art discloses a number of whitening formula, as in the following two patents:
China Patent CN201210064589.2 “Whitening anti-aging cosmetic containing cistanche tubulosa extract and preparation method thereof” discloses a whitening anti-aging cosmetic whose main raw material is cistanche tubulosa extract. In the extract, the content of echinacoside is ≥25%, and the content of verbascoside is ≥55%. This patent discloses a whitening anti-aging cosmetic for external use whose main functional components are echinacoside and verbascoside. Whitening active ingredients such as echinacoside and verbascoside have poor stability when used externally in cosmetics as the matrix is generally basic; active ingredients have poor transdermal absorption when used externally, which compromises the whitening effect.
China Patent CN201210368849.5 “Medicinal instant granules having whitening effect and preparation method thereof”, discloses medicinal instant Granules prepared from radix paeoniae alba, rose flower, Chinese honeylocust spine, radix saposhnikoviae, rhizoma polygonati, GLYCYRRHIZAE RADIX ET RHIZOMA, mulberry, ginseng flowers, heterophylla, semen zizyphi spinosae, concrete of dahurian rose fruit, vitamin C, vitamin E, arbutin, grape seed extract and excipients, which have effects of inhibiting melanin and whitening skin. In accordance with the provisions of Ministry of Health, raw materials of Chinese honeylocust spine and radix saposhnikoviae are not available for ordinary food and heal-care food, so there is a big safety risk.
From the foregoing, the formulae in the above patents all have deficiencies. Therefore, an urgent need for further research on whitening formula exists, in the hope of developing whitening formulae having better stability, better safety and improved effect.